Perry Mason Sally is Kidnapped and kidnappers are murdered
by susan cousineau
Summary: This is the same story but redone because the chapters are wrong
1. Chapter 1

Perry Junior was here. He was healthy and the Mason household was now full. Della sat on the bed and looked at the little baby that she and Perry had made together. He looked like his daddy with great big eyes that reminded her so much of her Perry.

Sally was with her aunt once more. She woke up in her old room. She had been happy there, but she had known that her Aunt Michelle was too old to take care for her. She had been sad when she had left that day. It seemed like it had been such a long time ago. She now lived her new mom and dad. She missed her mommy and daddy from before.

Michelle was down in the kitchen making some breakfast when Sally came down. She was a breath of fresh air to their home and as she offered her niece breakfast, she told her of her plans. "We don't get to see each other very much. Once we have breakfast and get dressed I have someplace that I would like to take you. But, I want to know your thoughts on the matter." she told her as she handed her a bowl of cereal .

Sally was intrigued and asked her "Where do you want to take me?"

Michelle turned away from the stove and smiled at her niece. "I would like you and me to make a trip to the cemetery where your mom and dad are. What do you think?" she asked her.

Sally thought for a moment. She missed her first mommy and daddy everyday. She had been happy with them. Her mommy and daddy Mason had told her that they would always be her birth parents. But because they could not be there for her childhood, her parents would want her to be happy. Sally wanted to say hello to her first parents very much. Her mommy had offered to take her once, but she had said no. She didn't want to upset her. But with her Aunt Michelle it was different, her aunt knew her parents . She smiled and said "Yes, I would like to go with you. Can I bring flowers?"

"Yes, you can. We will go and see the baby and then go to the cemetery. After that we can grab a lunch. Your uncle Brian and your Aunt Mary are coming over tonight for supper." Michelle told her.

Sally was excited. She hadn't seen her Aunt Mary or Uncle Brain in months and she had missed them. "I can't wait. I miss Brian and all his girl friends. Is Aunt Mary coming over with her kids?"

"Yes, everyone is coming over. We are going to have a barb q." Michelle smiled.

Sally got very excited and hurried to get dressed. As her Aunt Michelle and she went to the hospital she was full of energy. She missed her mommy and couldn't wait for Perry Junior to come home. She got to hold the baby and kissed her mommy and daddy hello.

Della looked at the little girl who was the light of her life. Sally had come to their home to live for a short time and had won their hearts. Now she couldn't picture life without her. As Della looked up she smiled . Perry had come into the room. Perry leaned over and gave all three of them a kiss good morning. Perry had spent the night in the room with his new family, but had stepped out to pick up a bouquet of roses. He had wanted to purchase five dozen roses, but thought that he could have them waiting for his wife when she got home.

Della asked Sally "What are you doing today?"

Sally smiled and told her "I am going with Aunt Michelle to see my first parents grave. Then we are having a barb q with my Uncle Brian and my Aunt Mary and all of her kids at Aunt Michelle's." she told her.

Della gave Perry a quick look and smiled. "Well you have a good time. Perry Junior and I will be home tomorrow." she told her.

"What time?" Sally squealed.

"We will call you when we find out. Is that all right with you Michelle?"

Michelle smiled and said "Of course it is."

The rest of the visit was friendly and Sally left skipping down the hallway. She could not wait to show her new brother his room. She and her mommy had worked hard on making his room nice.

As Michelle and Sally arrived at the cemetery Sally started to look for the stone that had her mommy and daddy's name on it. She found the stone with names Nora and Robert Capron. She placed the flowers there and said a little prayer. She missed them and remembered that day. "I love you." she told them. "Please remember me. I love my new parents too, I am very happy."

Michelle nearly broke down in tears as she watched her niece acting like such an adult. She was a good person who loved everyone. She did not deserve to have what happened to her.

Larry Barber had been the Mason's landscaper ever since they had bought the house. The home was a lovely home in an exceptionally nice part of town. The lady of the house always left him fresh lemonade in the refrigerator in the pool house. They treated him very well.

But Larry was having marital problems. His wife was seeing another man. She had admitted to it. He had taken her back, but was having some issues just the same. Tonight he was going to be going to marriage counseling and he hoped that would help. As he worked on the lawn, he whistled to himself. The Mason's were such nice people and Perry had asked him to do an especially good job today because he was bringing a new baby home the next day.

Back at the Jones house Sally was busy helping her Aunt Michelle get ready for the company. She got the plates and silverware out and then mixed the lemonade. Her mommy made the best lemonade and she had learned from her, how to crush the lemon and to mix it very well. Michelle smiled at her niece who was becoming a young lady. She was really being a help.

That night Sally and her Aunts and Uncles all had a good time. Sally had only met Aunt Mary's new husband a couple of times and was glad to get to see him again. But he was not that friendly and was drinking a lot of beer. Sally heard her Uncle Brian say something, but he had just brushed him off. Uncle Steve was not that nice and Sally wasn't sure if she liked him or not.

But Sally got the chance to get to see her cousins and they had a good time. "We thought that you didn't want to have anything to do with us now that you are living with the rich." he cousin Danny told her.

Sally couldn't understand why she was treated like that by her cousins. But she still had lots of fun and enjoyed the time with her Aunt Michelle. The next morning her daddy called. Perry Junior was coming home at twelve. He was going to be picking her up at eleven so they could go and get her mommy and baby brother


	2. Chapter 2

At eleven that morning Sally was picked up by her daddy. Her Aunt Michelle had dressed her very cute and she was happy to be going home. Perry thanked the lady and the daughter and father left hand in hand with Sally skipping.

Michelle Jones smiled as she watched her niece go off with her new daddy. She thought of her brother and his wife. They had been such good parents to Sally and she knew that they would have wanted Sally to go with the Mason's . The Mason family had been wonderful to Sally and she truly loved them very much.

Picking up baby Perry was a big day in the life of the Mason family.. Perry had his new camera and taped everything. Della was so tired when she got home all she wanted to do was sleep. For the first few weeks the baby was going to sleep with her and Perry in his basinet. Sally made sure that her mommy was all set and then went downstairs to let her mommy and brother have a little time to rest.

Della was hoping that it would be slow in the office for the next couple of weeks. She was looking forward to getting back to work once the baby was six weeks old. But, right now she was very tired and fell right to sleep.

Perry was in his study and kept the baby monitor on. He hadn't heard Sally in a few minutes and so he went out and called her name. There was no answer. He went up to her room and did not find her. He slowly opened the door to his bedroom where Della and Perry Jr were sleeping and found no Sally. Now Perry was not one to panic but he wondered where she was. He went out into the yard and walked all around she was not there.

He saw Hamilton Burger's brother and asked him if he had seen her. "No. I'm sorry we just got back from shopping."

Perry went back into the house and checked everywhere, he could find no Sally. Now he was worried.

Sally had been in the kitchen getting herself something to eat when her Uncle Steve had knocked on the door. He had a new video game for her and said that "Aunt Michelle wants you to come with me. We are going up to mommy and daddy's cabin the one you used to go to with your real parents."

Sally wasn't sure, but Aunt Michelle was her friend. Sally started to turn around and Larry the guy that cut their lawn said "It's ok I already talked to your daddy and he said you could stay with Aunt Michelle for a little longer."

With that Sally had left with the two men happily, thinking that everything was all right. But it wasn't she was being kidnapped and was headed out to the woods with no way to call anyone. She would not have any fears for quite a while yet.

But Perry was becoming extremely concerned and thought about waking Della up. 'What good will that do? All she could do was worry. I will call Paul' he thought to himself.

Paul knew that the police would not get involved yet, but he still contacted a friend of his on the police force and came right over. He found Perry a nervous wreck and himself walked the entire property in and out. There was no sign of Sally. There was no sign that she had been forced out of the house either.

The two men started walking the street and asked every single neighbor if they had seen anyone. No one had and they had not seen Sally that day either As Perry and Paul arrived back at the house they found Della in the kitchen getting herself a drink of coffee.

She turned to smile at her husband and Paul and knew something was wrong very wrong. She looked into the two men's eyes and said "What is wrong?"

Perry took his wife, the woman he loved more than he had ever thought he could love in his arms and told her "I don't know where Sally is. Paul and I have been looking for the past hour. We have walked the house many times and the neighborhood as far as the school. No one has seen her. "

Della's life stopped right there. "Who would take Sally? She was just nine years old. There were no signs in the house that indicated that she was in trouble. She cried out and said "We need to call the police."

That afternoon Perry Mason did call the police. The police came over and searched every inch of the house and the land. They too went up and down the street asking questions and looking in places that a small child could hide. But, they were unsuccessful also.

Meanwhile Sally was with her Uncle Steve and the lawn man. She remembered the way to her mommy and daddys cabin. She had many good memories there and couldn't wait to see her cousins and her Aunt Michelle.

But as they arrived at the cabin there wasn't anyone there. Her uncle shrugged his shoulders and told her that they would be there soon. Sally went into the back bedroom that had always been hers and went over and started playing her new video game. She could hear Larry and her uncle in the front room talking to another man. It seemed as though they were arguing. As she stepped out into the living room she saw that her Uncle Steve and Larry were drinking with another man and when they saw her they told her to go back into her room. Sally didn't like that her Aunt and cousins hadn't shown up. She picked up the phone to call her Aunt Michelle and found no dial tone. She would call them from the living room when everyone else went to bed.

Back at the Mason house, both Paul and Perry were in full investigative mood. Della just sat there holding Perry Jr and stared. Someone had taken little Sally and now they had to wait for a call from the kidnappers. She was sure that they would want money.


	3. Chapter 3

Sally sat in her room and waited for someone to come to the house. She listened as her uncle and the gardener talked out in the living room. But, no one came. Where were her cousins and her aunt? She decided to go out into the living room and ask them what was going on but to her shock the door to her room was now locked. She couldn't get out. She knocked and yelled but her Uncle Steve or Larry Barber but no one answered.

As Sally walked around the room, she checked out the window. Her room was very high for her to jump from. Although, she was on the first floor there was a gully behind the house and the drop to the gully was at least twenty feet. She looked around for something that she could use for a rope or something and could find nothing.

The next morning Steve went to Sally's room and opened the door. He found her asleep on the floor in front of the door. She had slept there and when he woke her up he could see that she had been crying. He looked down at her and told her "Why all of the tears? Your Aunt Michelle and Aunt Mary will be here today. They are just a little late."

Sally looked at her uncle. She wanted to believe him, but. "Why did you lock my door last night?" she asked as she walked toward the kitchen to get some breakfast.

"I didn't want you wondering around. The woods are dangerous and dark." he told her.

Sally looked around and didn't see Larry. The car was gone too. She knew that it was at least three miles to the nearest cabin and during this time of year, there probably wouldn't be anyone there. As she was finishing her breakfast she saw Larry coming back. Her Uncle Steve went out to the car to meet him. Sally could see that they were talking maybe even arguing.

This was one of the times that Sally knew she had a few moments to check things around. She had seen on television how you could use a nail file to open a locked door and she knew that her mother had one in the bathroom. She was going to take it and hide it in her room. She went into the bathroom and found the file. As she left the bathroom her Uncle Steve and Larry came into the cabin.

Sally smiled at the two men and they smiled back at her. She went into her room to get dressed . There she hid her nail file under the mattress and went back into the living room. She spent the day watching movies. There was no cable at the cabin, but she had a recorder that she could watch. She looked at some of the movies that she and her mommy and daddy had watched together many times and felt like crying.

If Sally was going to escape from the room, she was going to have to be very quiet. She had her clothes all ready and made sure that her sneakers and everything were ready for the long walk. The woods were dark and dangerous. She had been out there many times, but never alone.

Meanwhile Larry had been to a town one hundred miles away and had called the Mason household. He had demanded a ransom of one hundred thousand dollars. It was supposed to be paid in small bills and he had said that he would call back in three days.

Perry had taken the call and recorded the whole thing. His hands shook as he placed the phone on the receiver. His fears were now confirmed, Sally had been kidnapped. He had the phone number and Paul traced it to a phone booth about eighty miles away. It was a long shot, but at least he had something. He contacted the police and they came out.

The sergeant listened to the tape. "Did you recognize the voice?" he asked.

Perry told him that no it had been disguised. That day the gardener was going to be there and they would ask him if he heard anything. Della had been up all night crying and now to hear that Sally had been definitely kidnapped, she was terrified.

Back at the cabin, the two men knew that they were going to have to leave Sally alone. Larry was going to have to go to the Mason home and act like nothing was happening and if Steve did not get back to his home, Mary would begin to wonder. He had called Mary and had told her that he had car trouble and was spending the night at Larry's. She had offered to come and get him but he had politely refused.

Within two hours Sally found herself alone in the cabin. Something told her that she was definitely going to be alone maybe forever. She was scared to death. The weather was good though and she thought that if she was careful, she could make it to the town before dark. Once she made sure that her Uncle Steve and Larry were truly gone, she headed out.

She walked in the woods keeping an eye on the road so she wouldn't get lost, and that worked at first. But, then she had seen a deer and had followed it for a short while. Sally turned and she couldn't find the road. Now, she was scared very scared. The woods went on for miles, her daddy had told her. She had only brought a few things to eat and it would get cold soon.

Meanwhile Larry and Steve had gone home. Larry had been questioned by the police and was glad to find out that he wasn't a suspect. He told them that he had seen nothing and had gone through his work just like any other day.

Steve talked to his wife Mary. She was very upset apparently someone had kidnapped her niece little Sally. They wanted a ransom of all things. Steve had told her how sad and said. "I am going to go out and find her. I will let you know what I found out."

Mary had protested, but he had insisted and she had given in. Steve and Larry genuinely wanted to help out with the search for Sally. Larry knew her because he was the gardener for the little girl's parents.

Larry and Steve were quite proud of themselves. They had bought themselves some time and soon they would be very wealthy. All they had to do was to keep Sally happy. As they pulled up to the cabin they carried a new toy for the little girl. But, as they walked in they soon discovered that Sally had left.

In the meantime it had gotten dark out and Sally was very lost. She had no flashlight or anything and curled up next to a tree. Thank goodness she had brought her favorite blanket with her. She also had an apple and as she ate it she sat there and cried.


	4. Chapter 4

Now it was time for panic. Steve and Larry were beside themselves. Where on Earth could Sally be? No one had seen them except the semi hermit that lived down the road. He was not talking, he thought that Steve and Larry were just friends of the poor people that had died in the car accident a year or so ago. He had not seen Sally, they had made sure of that by locking her bedroom door.

Jim Burns enjoyed the quiet life of living in a small cabin without lights or plumbing up in the woods. But even he had to go into town once in a while. This day he needed some supplies and had walked the near to five miles into town.

As he picked up some supplies, he heard the news of little Sally. He remembered the little girl as full of life. He had been so sad when her parents had died in that awful crash. He thought that her life would have been fine after she was adopted by Perry Mason. In his many years as a business man he had met and made friends with Perry and Della. They were good people and he wanted to help find the little girl, but he had no idea what or who would take her.

As Jim made the long trip back to his cabin he went by the old Capron place. There was something strange about the two men who had been up there and so he decided to go and say hello to them once again. There had been video games out as though a child had been there playing 'Oh no that couldn't be' as he thought of Sally.

Jim took a peak inside the window and to his dismay saw to bodies lying on the floor. Both the men who he had been talking to just the other day w ere dead. He went in and checked to make sure, but they had been shot.

Jim was tired, but hurried as fast as he could to get to the nearest phone. He met with the police and took them up to the cabin. The police asked him a lot of questions and he wondered for just an instant if he was a suspect. But, he had no reason to murder these two men. .

Meanwhile Sally had gotten up. She was hungry and very tired. The night had not been a good one. The sounds of the animals and the fact that it was dark and she was lost had not led to a good nights sleep.

But as she walked this morning she heard the sound of water and so she followed the sound. By mid morning she had found the water and took a long drink. She was very thirsty. But, she remembered something her daddy had told her a long time ago. One day when she and her other mommy and daddy had been out in the woods, her daddy had said. "Sally if you ever get lost in the woods and find water you are safe. Follow the flow of the water. It will take you to civilization almost all of the time."

This was the first time that Sally had hope and so she started the long walk along the water. Sometimes she couldn't follow the water all of the way , but she made sure that she could always hear the water. She walked for hours and it was again getting dark. All she had left for food was a few chips, but she had water. This night, she slept again against a tree.

Meanwhile the police were checking out the two men who had been found murdered in the cabin. They were two men from the Las Angeles area and one of them was indeed the brother in law of Bob and Nora Capron. But, they had found something in one of the bedrooms. It was a sweater and neatly inside had been sewn in the name Sally Mason.

Even in this small town news had gotten around that Sally Mason had been kidnapped. The police chief shook his head. 'Did these two fools kidnap the little Capron girl? If they did where was she?"

Perry and Paul had been doing everything they could to find Sally. Della was just beside herself and could not stop holding the baby when they got the call. It was the police from Wood Valley. They were at a cabin that had once belonged to Sally's parents and there had been a murder. Sally's uncle and a man named Larry Barber. We found a pink sweater with the name Sally Mason tagged on the inside.

That was his gardeners name. He got the address from the police and said that he was on his way. Perry turned to Della and told her "They just found Sally's Uncle Steve and our gardener :Larry murdered in Sally's parents cabin. They found Sally's sweater at the cabin. They and I think that Sally's Uncle Steve and our gardener got together and kidnapped Sally. There is only one problem, Sally is nowhere to be found." he told Della as he put his arms around her. The tears were in his eyes as they were in hers.

Perry told her tenderly "I am going to go get Paul and head right up there. As soon as I found out anything I will call." he then kissed his wife and his newborn son and hurried out the door.

Sally had been walking for hours when she saw a house in the valley. This looked like a home, a regular home, and she went down towards the house very carefully. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. A dog came running up with his tail wagging and she pet him. It was the first time in what seemed forever that she felt all right.

She stood there at the door and no one answered. She looked around and could see that there was no one at home. She thought that she might get in trouble if she went in. But, she would tell the people what had happened she reasoned it would be all right. .

Sally tried the door and found it unlocked. As she went in she saw a house with signs that there were children living in it. She hoped that this meant that she would be safe. She went into the living room and picked up the phone. She thought Daddy's at work I will call the office. She did and got the answering service. So she left them a message.

The lady at the answering service was brand new and knew nothing about the kidnapping and placed the information that Sally had given her into a pile of messages that were accumulating for Perry Mason. For some reason he had not been picking them up like he usually did.

Sally, in the meantime was very hungry and looked in the refrigerator. There she found ham and cheese and made herself a sandwich. Her mom and dad would pay them back when they picked her up she reasoned.

Perry and Paul were on their way up to the cabin as fast as they could. They were both worried that Sally might be lost in the woods.

In the meantime Sally fell asleep on the couch of the strangers home safe for the time being.


	5. Chapter 5

For Perry Mason who had contacted his friend Paul Drake the ride up to the old cabin was too long. Where was Sally? There were two dead men in the cabin and Sally was not there. Thank goodness that Paul was driving for Perry was in no shape to do so.

Della was sitting at the kitchen table trying to think. Someone had kidnapped Sally and then taken her to the cabin. She had called Sally's Aunt Mary. The poor lady was devastated. Her husband had told her that he was going to go and find Sally if he and his friend Larry could do so. He had left just that day looking for her. 'They must have stumbled across the kidnapper and lost their lives. But where was Sally? She couldn't be with the murderer? Oh no that cannot be' Della thought to herself.

Meanwhile Gloria Statler had finally gotten a break at work. She was watching the television where they were carrying a story of a little girl who had been kidnapped. Her name was Sally Mason. Gloria thought of the call that she had received a few hours ago. The call was from a child by the name of Sally and she had wanted to talk to Mr. Mason. She had not taken down any information because the girl did not have the phone number where she could be reached. At the time she had thought it was a prank.

Gloria just about ran out of the room. She went to her desk and found the slip that she had started to fill out. She had not written down the time or anything just a message saying Sally. She went over to her supervisor . The supervisor couldn't believe what Gloria had handed her. She placed a call to the police immediately.

Lt Tragg who usually worked homicide was very concerned about the Mason case. Sally was a sweetheart and she had been kidnapped. Now her sweater had been found in the cabin along with two murder victims. He was thinking hard and trying to figure out where she was when he heard the phone call. A girl by the name of Sally had placed a call to the Mason answering service.

Lt Trgagg went over to the phone and asked that he could go with the detectives to the answering service. As the men went over to the center they talked to a lady named Gloria who had taken the call. The supervisor was busy going through the phone records. They had caller id and should be able to pick up the phone number.

In the meantime the police had been in contact with the telephone company to get the name and address of the person who had called the center sometime between the hours of ten and eleven that morning. Unfortunately the center handled over two hundred calls an hour and they had been very busy on that day. This was going to take time. The best thing for them was to get the number from the center itself.

LT Tragg took it upon himself to go through the records. Finally, after many hours of looking, they had come across a telephone number that was just twelve miles from the cabin where Sally's uncle and his friend had been murdered. 'Could a nine year old girl make it twelve miles on her own?' he thought to himself. 'Yes he thought that she might be able to.'

Sally woke up in the strange house. No one was home and she looked around. The house was a nice old home and there was two bedrooms upstairs. She looked at the pictures on the wall and saw a mother father and two girls. She looked at the time and saw that it was almost three in the afternoon. She reasoned that there was a road to the house now and it was time for her to walk into town.

As she was starting to get her backpack and get ready to go onto the road she heard the sound of a car coming into the driveway. 'Oh no they might be angry that I came into the house. I ate some of their food. ' she thought to herself. With that she ran and hid in the hall closet.

Ginny and Carl Wheeler had been at work all day and were tired. Their two girls Danielle and Brenda ran ahead. But when they walked in the house they were surprised. Someone had been there. There was a plate out where someone had made a sandwich and there was a backpack on the couch. They each ran out and got their parents.

Ginny was surprised and as she looked around she was sure that she heard something in the closet. As she opened the door there stood Sally. She was dirty, but otherwise all right. Ginny took her hand and led her out into the living room. She smiled at the little girl and all of the others starting asking her tons of questions. The girl was scared and Ginny hushed the rest of the family.

"Don't be afraid My name is Ginny Wheeler and this is my husband Carl and my two children Danielle and Brenda. Can you tell me your name?" she asked as tenderly as she could.

Sally looked at the four people who were standing in front of her and knew that she needed to trust someone. 'They might be able to call her mommy and daddy and then they could come and get me.' She looked at them and said my name is Sally Mason."

Ginny nearly fainted. This was the little girl who was all over the news. She had been kidnapped and was missing. They had found her sweater up in a cabin a few miles away. There had been two men murdered there and she needed to call the police.

"Can you help me find my mom and dad? I called them, but the answering lady said that she could not help me because I didn't know your phone number. I am sorry that I used your phone, but I was trying to call my daddy."

Ginny took the young girl in her arms and told her "You are safe now. We will call your daddy and then the police, all right?" she smiled.

Sally thought that maybe her mommy would be home. She might be sleeping but her nanny would be there. So she called the house. Della heard the phone ring and jumped up. She had been waiting for a call for hours. She picked up the phone it was Sally. She was all right and at a house that belonged to people with the name of Ginny and Carl Wheeler.

Words cannot express the feelings that Della had at that moment. Her little girl was safe and sound. She had to call Perry. "Oh Sally we have been so worried, but daddy is just a little bit away from you and I will call him. I promise he will be there shortly."

But just then Sally heard a car door and getting out of the car was her daddy. He had found her. She ran to him and he grabbed her and held her up in the air tears flowing down his tender eyes. Sally was safe and he was never going to let her out of his sight again.

Ginny told Della what was happening and as Della waited Perry got on the phone and told her that everything was all right that Sally was fine.


	6. Chapter 6

Lori and Della were finally able to breathe for the first time in days. Lori had com over to stay with her sister when she had called and told her about the kidnapping. Lori never wanted to go through anything like that again. Della found herself wringing her hands and crying for joy now.

But Perry was busy with the police. There were lots of questions to be answered. Sally was very young and had been traumatized but there were two men who had been murdered at the cabin and he needed to know what she knew.

As Perry held his daughter in his arms, he asked her if her Uncle Steve and Larry had been good to her. He thought that if she had seen them murdered that she would tell him then.

"Oh they were all right. They had lots of movies for me to watch and they bought me a video game. But they kept telling me that Aunt Michelle and my cousins were coming and I didn't believe them." she told him.

Perry took a breath and realized that she didn't seem to know that her uncle and that terrible gardener were dead. But he asked her as casually as possible "When was the last time that you saw them ?"

Sally was worried that she might be in trouble . She had left for a walk to town. She was afraid of her Uncle and Larry for some reason. But she loved her daddy and knew that she should tell him the truth. "How did you leave?" he asked her.

"I was alone in the cabin after they left to go into town. I had meant to follow the road, but stay in the woods in case they came back. But I got lost and couldn't find the road. I walked and walked until I found the river. My other daddy had told me that if I followed the flow of the water I would find people. I slept in the woods under a tree and walked today until I saw this house." she told him.

Sally was safe and that was all that mattered, but the last time that she had seen her uncle and Larry they had been alive. "Do you know what time it was when they left yesterday?" he asked her.

"It was early, I was still eating breakfast." she told him.

Perry had to find out these things there was murderer out there someplace. "Sally, did anyone else ever come to the cabin while you were there?" he asked her.

"Yes, there was a man that came and it seemed as though they were arguing. But when I walked into the living room they made me go back to my room. I couldn't see him very well because I was sent back to my room too quick. So I peaked through the door lock ." she told him. Then there was the man that was talking to them out in the driveway. They were talking for a few minutes and then he walked up the road."

Perry was still holding Sally in his arms and asked her "Did you see that man? Would you recognize him if you saw him again?"

"Oh yes, he didn't see me, but I saw him from the window. Uncle Steve said his name it was Hermit."

Perry knew right away who the man was. He had known Jim Burns for years and he was the man that had found the two men murdered. Things did not look good for his friend either. "Did anything else happen while you were there?" he asked her.

Sally just shook her heard and said "I hope you don't mind, but I took my old backpack and favorite blanket from the cabin. "

That just made Perry hold her tighter. As they went back to LA it was a much merrier mood. Paul Drake did not think that he had ever been as worried as he had been the past few days. But, Sally was all right and life was good once more.

Della had called Michelle Jones. She was upset very upset with Michelle's nephew in law, but knew that Michelle was now grieving. Someone had murdered the man and there was now the grieving process that was happening at Michelle's house now.

Michelle Jones could not believe what Steve had done. She would have killed him herself if she had known what he had done. Sally had been through so much for a young girl of only nine. But, she was now relieved to find out that Sally was fine. She was now on her way to Mary's house to see what she could do to help her. She couldn't help but wonder how Mary was handling her husband' s murder and the fact that he and his friend Larry had been the kidnappers. The kidnappers that everyone had been looking for was her husband and his friend Larry. They had not been out looking for the kidnapper, they had been hiding the little girl in the cabin that Bob and Nor had once owned.

As Michelle pulled up to Mary's home she was met by her children. The house didn't seem very solemn in fact if Michelle hadn't known any better, she thought that Mary wasn't very upset about her husband. As Michelle spent the day with the family she was wondering if Mary had known about the kidnapping. It was just the way that she had been acting. 'But' she reasoned to herself ' people handle grief in different ways.

Finally the police statements were done and Perry and Sally along with their friend Paul Drake headed back out to their home. As the car pulled into the Mason driveway Della came running out of the house and took Sally in her arms. Lori stood there with tears in her eyes and as the family went up the stairs to their home they felt safe once again.

But for Jim Burns things were not going well. The police had finished their investigation and had shown up at his cabin late that afternoon. He was under arrest under suspicion of murder and he needed a lawyer.

Things were not going to be quiet at the Mason household for long.


	7. Chapter 7

Della listened intently to the story that Sally told her. How this young girl could have navigated the deep woods that surrounded the cabin by herself was unbelievable. She had kept her head and had followed the flow of the water of all things. The poor girl had taken the backpack that she had left at the cabin so long ago when her parents had taken her there for a weekend.

Della and Perry had tears in their eyes as they listened to Sally . She told them "When I got to the cabin, I found some of the things that I had left here. I hope you don't mind, but I took my favorite blanket and my old backpack. I wanted to have something to carry my things while I walked. I brought an apple to eat while I walked. But I saw a deer and followed him, the next thing I knew I couldn't find the road. I found a big tree and slept under it that night. I wasn't too cold because I had my blanket. I forgot my sweater though and could have used it at night." she told them.

Sally smiled as she told them "I called the office, but the lady that answered the phone couldn't help me. "I didn't know what the phone number was at the house. The Wheelers were nice and Mrs. Wheeler helped me call you mommy."

Della just held her daughter in her arms. She was in bad need of a bath and so she smiled at her and said. "I am sorry that you had to go through all that, but you are safe now. Let's go upstairs and take a bath. " she told her tenderly.

Sally seemed happy to go with her mommy and they walked up the stairs holding hands. Perry had to take a deep breath once more and as he aimlessly walked around the kitchen the phone rang. It was Jim Burns he had been charged with the murder of Larry and Steve. He needed a lawyer and Perry knew that he had to defend the man. It was going to mean a long trip back up to the town once again. But Sally was now safe and he was a lawyer. He told Larry that he would be up there within two hours and went upstairs to talk to Della.

Della had been upstairs when she had heard the phone ring. She couldn't hear what her husband was saying, but knew by the tone of his voice that someone was once more in trouble. She helped Sally out of the bathtub and was brushing her hair when Perry came into the room.

Sally watched as her mommy and daddy went out into the hall to talk and knew that something had happened. She was thinking that maybe the police had arrested or uncle and Larry for what they had done. She was not sure. But when her mommy came in the room she was smiling. She asked her "Where is daddy going?"

Della knew that Sally was going to find out what had happened to the two men who had kidnapped her, but she had been hoping that she could tell her later. She picked up the brush and told her "I am sorry to have to tell you that your Uncle Steve and Larry have been murdered. We don't know who did it but a friend of your daddy's Jim has been charged with the murder. Daddy is going to defend him."

Sally had tears in her eyes as she thought of her uncle and the man that used to cut their grass. They were not mean to her and she thought of her cousins. She knew what it was like to lose your parents. She looked up at her mommy and said "I want to call Aunt Mary and tell her how sorry I am."

Della shook her head as she brushed the hair of the little girl that had come into her life. All of the things that she had been through and all she wanted to do was call her Aunt and cousins and told them how sorry she was for what had happened to her. She was a kind child who had a heart of gold. "All right we will go into the bedroom and call your Aunt Mary." With that the two of them went into the bedroom and Della took out her phone book.

Sally went over to the bassinet and looked at her new brother. He was sleeping so peacefully. She kissed her finger and placed it on Perry's cheek. She loved her brother and was glad that he was safe and at home.

As Della dialed the phone to Aunt Mary's house she watched Sally. She loved her two children so much. As Mary got on the line Della handed the phone over to Sally. "I am so sorry about "Uncle Steve If there is anything that I can do for you please call me."

Della smiled with pride as she listened to her daughter. She sounded as though she was an adult not like a child. The best thing about it was that what Sally was saying was what she meant. Sally really did care about her aunt and her cousins.

As Mary hung up the phone she could not believe what Sally had said. She should have taken her in. She really was a good child. Michelle Jones had been standing there with tears in her eyes. She had never deserved such a good person and Sally really did belong with the Mason family.

Perry had gone upstairs to change his clothes before he went back up to the police station and start to defend his friend Jim Burns. He looked down at his son and swore to himself that he would be safe. Even with him and Della right there in the house along with the nanny his daughter had been kidnapped. It had been broad daylight when it had happened. As he kissed his son good-bye he shook his head.

Perry went into Sally's room and kissed her good-bye. Della followed him downstairs and kissed him passionately as he left for the police station once more. She went to go upstairs and was met by Sally. She and Sally went into the study and turned on the baby monitor. Jen was upstairs, but Della wanted an extra eye kept on the baby now. She would not feel comfortable for a while now. As she sat down to begin doing the necessary paperwork for court she watched Sally as she colored at her own desk. Della went to work loving her life once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Perry found himself on the way once again to help someone who was in need of a good defense attorney. He had decided many years ago that this was his life's calling and had never looked back. After years of hard work and working side by side with Della he had fallen in love and now had a family a home and a mortgage. With all the changes he was a happy man. But this case was the most important case to him that he had ever worked on. Someone had murdered the two men that they knew was responsible for the kidnapping of Sally.

He knew that whoever had murdered them knew a few facts. Whoever had murdered them knew that they were up at the cabin. The cabin had not been used since Sally 's parents had passed away. They had to have first hand knowledge of at least one of the men, because the cabin's location made it impossible for a passer by to see them. He was sure that whoever it was therefore had to have something to do with the kidnapping.

What frightened Perry the most was that there was still a kidnapper out there. To top it off that kidnapper was a murderer also. He feared that his family was in grave danger and wanted to get back to his home as soon as possible.

Perry arrived at the local police station and found his friend Jim Burns sitting there in a cell by himself. As he spoke to him he learned that Jim too had seen a black car on the roadway the day Sally was kidnapped. He thought that they were related to Sally's mother and father and had not noticed the license plate number.

The next morning was going to be the bail hearing for Jim and Perry and Della would be there. Perry left for home and thought about Della. He was sure that she was busy in the study working on his briefs and as he called her he was relieved to hear her voice. She was indeed working on the briefs for the morning. Sally had gone to bed early, as she was very tired.

Perry Jr had been a little fussy and was now sleeping quietly in his basinet in the office with her. Perry was proud of his little family. He was now on a mission. He was going to find out who the other kidnapper was and the murderer. All he knew was that he was a man in a black car.

Perry picked up his phone once again and called his friend Paul. He asked him to get right on looking into who that man was that both Jim and Sally had said that was at the cabin. "Anything you and your men can find out Paul will be helpful."

Paul had never seen his friend so upset about a case. He knew that this case was getting to personal and hoped that Perry could remain objective. He contacted a couple of his men and promised that he would be starting on his investigation right away. He looked at his watch and saw that it was now nine thirty , a great time to start an investigation.

As Perry arrived home he was met by Della. He went over the work that she had done and as usual found the work without error. They put Perry Jr into his upstairs basinet and climbed into bed. It was already ten thirty at night and there was school for Sally in the morning if she felt up to it and court at ten. The courthouse was almost an hour away from their home, so they would have to leave as soon as they dropped Sally off.

The case that the prosecution had against Jim Burns was a weak one. They had no fingerprints of him anywhere in the home and no witnesses. Also, Perry had two people that had seen another car in the driveway that day. The charges were accepted and for once Perry's client was released form jail. But, he was subject to arrest at any other time if the police learned something, so Jim Burns was not a free man.

The cabin had not been used in over a year and the dust had been everywhere. Perry wanted to find if any of the fingerprints that had been found in the cabin had been identified. There were of course, the fingerprints of the murder victims and Sally, but there was one more set discovered. The prints belonged to an unknown person.

The police had found tire tracks in the driveway. One of the tire tracks belonged to the kidnappers car. But the other tire tracks belonged to a larger model car with sixteen inch tires. It was the opinion of the police that the tracks were no more than three days old. That dated the tracks to the time that Sally had been there with the kidnappers.

There were several beer cans left around also. Each can was brought to the lab for possible dna. Along with that there were several cigarette butts. Perry knew that Larry did not smoke and Sally said that her Uncle Steve didn't smoke either. Those went to the lab for dna samples also. All this evidence would take months for the police to get the results and Perry was very concerned for his family's safety. He could not wait for the results of those tests.

Sally was glad to be back at her home, but being at the cabin had brought back memories of her other mom and dad. She missed them very much and had taken a picture of three of them off of her bureau at the cabin. She wanted to put the picture up in her room, but didn't know what her new mommy and daddy would think. A tear ran down her eyes as she kissed the picture and hid it from everyone under her mattress. Someday she would tell everyone about the picture, but she didn't think that this was a good time to show the picture not just yet.

Bob Martin was now a wanted man and he knew it. He was so stupid. He had seen Sally and not thought anything about it. Steve was the little girl's uncle. He was a jerk sometimes, but he didn't think anything of her. Steve and Larry had told him that Michelle was coming up and they were going to have a little family get together. The guy owned him over five hundred dollars and he had wanted the money. They had argued at the cabin and he was sure that Sally heard them. Now the two men were dead . He had nothing to do with that but he knew that he was probably going to jail anyways. He couldn't afford an expensive lawyer like Jim Burns had gotten. 'What to do' he thought.


	9. Chapter 9

As the day went by guilt haunted the man that was known as Bob Martin. He was in full protect mode. 'The best way to keep my freedom is to find out who the murderer is. He knew that he was on borrowed time, because the police were looking for his car. There were never very many people e up by the cabin. It was in a very remote place and that is why the two idiots had brought Sally there.

He thought and thought about what the men had said to him. Larry was very nervous and when Sally had come into the room he had panicked. IF he hadn't been such a nervous wreck Sally might not have thought anything of him. But, because of the way Larry acted and Steve had put her back in the bedroom, he was sure that Sally would remember him.

Bob had asked them what Sally was doing there? They had said that Steve's children were coming up there to spend sometime in the woods with her cousins. They had not been there yet, but were due to come that afternoon.

His cabin was just down the road about five miles away from the cabin where Sally had been kept. There was little or no traffic on the road and it seemed to him that perhaps his wife might have seen someone on the road that day.

As Bob went into the house he was worried and his wife Donna could see the worry on his face. "Bob, what is wrong? You have been a nervous wreck for the past week. Does it have anything to do with the kidnapping of the little girl? Come on you need to tell me. I will not tell anyone about what you tell me and they can't force me to testify against you." she nearly begged him.

Bob was now a very worried man and he knew that Donna would stand by him. He went into the refrigerator not wanting anything, but wanted her not to see his face. They had been married too long and she knew his thoughts. "I was wondering if you saw a car on the road the day that they found those two men murdered." he asked her.

"I was not feeling well that day, remember? I was sleeping in the back of the house and didn't hear or see anything. What about you?" she asked him.

Bob shook his head and said "No I saw no one and I certainly didn't see that poor little girl out in the woods. I can't imagine that she was out in the woods overnight. It is truly a miracle that she was all right.. He cleared his throat and told her "I am the man,, though that the police are looking for. I am such an idiot. I saw Sally at the cabin the day before. Steve told me that she was up here to have a visit with her cousins, Sally came into the room and looked fine. I didn't know they had kidnapped her." he pleaded to his wife.

Donna couldn't believe what her husband had just said. He had seen Sally and not known about the kidnapping. Their home had no television and neither one of them went into town very often. They had not heard about the kidnapping until after the murder. Their son had heard about it when he had gone into town.

Barry Martin was just nineteen and was on his way back up to his house when he thought about the black car that the police were looking for. He had a feeling that the police were looking for the family car. What he wanted to know was who was the lady that had been driving the Chevrolet Impala that day? He had seen a lady going up the road that morning. He had not seen her come back down the mountain, though. As he came into the driveway he thought that he would speak to his mom and dad about what he had seen.

Donna and her husband had heard their son Barry come into the driveway and were sitting at the front window to the small cabin as he came in. That was when Barry told them about the while Impala that he had seen on that morning. They were talking about what they had seen when there was a knock on the front door.

Bob looked out the window and saw a tall man with gray hair standing at the front door. He did not look like a police officer. It was a rare occasion, when they had visitors. He opened the door and found himself face to face with Paul Drake.

Paul introduced himself to the people in the cabin and Bob looked at his family. He needed to tell someone what he knew. It certainly had not been their friend who had murdered the two kidnappers. So he asked Paul to take a seat.

"Paul we moved here years ago for our privacy. But Sally and her family had come here many weeks out of the year. They were very nice people and we were devastated when they were killed in the accident. Many hours I work in the woods and saw a car in the cabin driveway. It had caught me by surprise, because I had not heard it drive by. As I came to the door to find out who was there I was met by Steve. I knew Steve and when he said that he and his friend had come up to the cabin for a family get together I had no reason to think anything of it. I saw Sally and she said nothing to me. She did not look scared, she took a video game and went back to her room."

Paul, had wondered about the black car that had been seen. He had actually stopped by the house because of the black car in the driveway. "Is there anything else that you heard or saw?" he asked.

That was when Barry spoke up "I saw a woman go by in a white Chevy Impala. She was driving up the road the morning that the men were murdered."

Paul was now very interested in what he was hearing. "Did you get a good look at her?"

Barry nodded and told him "Yes, pretty good. I would know her if I saw her again." he told her.

Paul then took out some pictures. There the young man said yes this is her. "

That was when Paul knew who the murderer was now he needed to prove it. He thanked the Martins and went out to his car and called Perry.


	10. Chapter 10

The one thing that Perry Mason and Paul Drake had always been very good at was getting a mystery solved. This was a tough case as it had involved Sally the daughter of Perry. Now that Paul had the driver of the Chevrolet Impala identified he went to the local police. As he arrived at the police station he found the chief seated behind the desk. The town was a small one and his force, that consisted of just three men were doing their best to investigate the murder. Paul Drake and any experience that he had was welcomed by the man.

As Paul spoke to the police chief, the man listened intently. The tire tracks that had been left in the driveway were from a large car and could have come from a Chevrolet Impala indeed. Now that Barry Martin had come and told him his story and how he had seen the lady drive the Chevrolet Impala past their cabin. His word was good with him.

An arrest warrant was put out for Sally's Aunt Mary. They had proof that she was at the cabin, and she had the time to commit the murder. As they went to her home and placed her under arrest she called her Aunt Michelle to take her children for at least the night. She had no attorney and so an attorney was appointed for her by the court. Mary had been getting dinner ready when she had heard a knock on the kitchen door. The police caught her completely by surprise. She had nothing to do with Steve's murder and was getting ready for the funeral in the morning. Now she would be in court while her two boys were attending their father's funeral. Things just couldn't have gone wrong.

Mary was allowed to make a phone call as she had two small children alone in the house. The only person that Mary could think of calling was her Aunt Michelle. Michelle had been through this herself and knew that at best Mary was in a desperate situation.

This piece of news also caught Michelle Jones completely by surprise. Michelle knew that with a court appointed attorney she would not get the best defense that was possible. She had Perry Mason and because of that she was now a free woman. She needed to go to Mr. Mason and plead for him to take Mary's defense. Mary did not have much money, but she was now a widow with two small children to care for. They had lost their step father and now were in danger of losing their mother also. She would plead her case to Mr. Mason.

As Michelle called to Mr. Mason's office she made an appointment for that afternoon. As she had feared Mary had not been given a chance to post a bond. She was going to be held over until her trial. The poor woman was not going to be able to attend her own husband's funeral and her two sons were now living with her.

Mary had been thinking and thinking about what the prosecution had said. They had the case all sewn up tight, or so it looked to her. She was in a real bind and the court appointed attorney had said hardly anything in her defense. He was a very young man and admitted to her that this was his first murder case.

Della was still out on maternity leave for the most part. Perry Jr was just two weeks old and she still was very tired. She did not mind going to court with her husband but the time at the office was much tougher on her. She could easily work from home instead and took advantage of the study at her house. Della found that from her study she could do almost everything except meet with clients. She would be working from home for a while.

Michelle Jones had come to see Perry Mason to ask or beg him to help Mary. Mary was being railroaded. She was a gentle person and would not kill anyone of that Michelle was sure.

Perry asked Michelle Jones to take a seat once more in his office. The lady that sat next to him was a woman named Gerty. She was very different from Della and a little less serious. Mr. Mason was a kind man and she knew that he wanted justice for everyone. It was now time for her to make her pitch.

After Michelle took a seat she spoke right up "Mr. Mason you have been very good to me and my family. You are a wonderful dad to Sally and thanks to you she is a happy little girl. But, right now her Aunt Mary is in a bind. She couldn't hurt a fly. She has been framed for the murder of her husband and Larry. They have given her an attorney through the court and the young lad has never even tried a case before."

Perry Mason had indeed dedicated his life to helping the innocent. But, this case had him wound up tighter than he had ever been. The two murdered men had kidnapped his daughter and he was having trouble with not getting involved. If you could not take a case objectively, a lawyer should never accept it. That had always been his thoughts. He had followed those rules since he had first passed the bar and didn't think that this was a good time to change the rules.

Not only was he involved with Michelle and Mary, but Sally was still traumatized by what had happened. He thought and thought about what he should do. "I will tell you what Michelle. This case has been very hard on me physically as well as mentally. But, you are right Mary does deserve the best defense. I will call her lawyer and offer to help him with the case. The first thing that we need to do is to get Mary out on bond." Perry shook her hand and told Gerty to go get Paul. Then find out the number to Mr. Davis's office. I want to call that young lawyer."


	11. Chapter 11

Attorney Davis was just out of law school. He had been one of the top members of his class, but had decided to dedicate his work to the less fortunate and the poor of the city. He knew that he would never be as financially set as many of his other colleagues, but he thought that there would be a deep satisfaction with what he could accomplish.

This lady Mary had him very worried. He had studied capital murder cases in law school, of course, but this lady was facing a real long prison term if he could not help her. There were things that just did not add up to her being the real murderer. But, he had failed her when he had asked for bond. Because of his inexperience the prosecutor had walked all over him and Mary had missed her own husband's funeral. This was unacceptable and Larry Davis had made up his mind then and there that he was going to get her acquitted.

It was late and he was at his desk going over law after law when his phone had rung. He was surprised that it rang so late at night. He had not gotten very many calls since he had opened his office. In fact of the ten calls that he had received two had been a wrong number.

As he answered the phone he was shocked to hear the voice of Perry Mason on the other end of the line. Mr. Mason had taught a few classes at his school when he had attended and he had a very distinguished voice.

Mr. Mason was offering to help him with the case against Mary. Larry had read the whole story. The two men had kidnapped the little girl that Perry Mason and his wife had just adopted. The men were found murdered in the cabin where they had kept the little girl captive. Perry Mason was asking him if he could come over to the office and talk about the case. "I would be honored to have you assist me on any case. I am here at my office now."

Perry smiled as he hung up the phone. Attorney Davis was an eager man and would wait for him to come. This was a sign that he had the ability to be a good lawyer one day. He thought of his first few days. There he sat in an office with all these books and the desire to change the world and no one called. He had sat there in his office with no one but his mother there to keep him company for weeks. But then he had hired Della and the cases started come in. That was a long time ago, and now he was married with a family and very happy with his life.

As Perry hit the button that would take him up to Attorney Davis' office, he thought of the young man who had asked so many questions as a student at one of his lectures. Larry had been a bright student and Perry had liked him right there on the spot. Larry Davis met Perry at his office door and the two men sat down for a long discussion.

Perry looked around at the office and saw what a shambles it was in. There were papers and books everywhere. It looked to him like Larry needed someone like his Della to take care of the office. "I have heard that you have taken the case of the woman who has been charged in the murders of the two men who kidnapped my daughter. I was wondering if you have any plans on how you want to defend her."

Larry looked into the man's eyes and knew that he could somehow tell what Larry was thinking even if he had said nothing. I have not been able to build up much of a defense, but I do have some serious questions about the police take on the murder. That is where I planned to start." Larry told Perry.

"What kind of problems do you see with this case?" Perry asked him intently.

"is this discussion going to be just between you and me and confidential?" Larry asked him.

"Yes this discussion will go no further than this room if that is the way you want it to be." Perry promised him.

Larry took a seat behind his desk and said " I would like to look more into this man that says he saw Mary driving her car up to the cabin. In one statement he needs to see a picture of her to identify her. Yet my client says that she has known him and Mary's own family since he was a young child. He should have said that is Mary and that should have been the end of it. When I talked to the man at the local gas station today he said that he hadn't seen Mary in the town since his friend Nora and her husband had been killed in the accident." Larry studied the man's eyes and could see that Mr. Mason was thinking about what had just been said.

"Who told you that Larry knew Mary?" Perry asked Larry.

"Bob Martin his father told me that the two families had been friends for years. Once In a while their son Barry would watch Sally for a short time. They used to go up there for barb-q and things." Larry told them.

"Larry , this case has been one of the hardest or the hardest case that I have ever worked on. My first rule has always been don't get involved. But when these two men Larry and Steve kidnapped my daughter I became emotionally involved and should have stepped down. You are right and I no longer think that Mary is guilty of doing anything. I have a man named Paul Drake up by the cabin right now. I think that he should look into Barry Martin and who he has been hanging around with. I don't think that he is telling the truth about who he saw driving up to the cabin that day" Perry watched as the young man tried to take everything in.

"So you think that Mary is innocent? Will you help me find out who the real murderer is?" Larry asked him.

"Yes Larry I can help you. But, this is still your case. I will just assist you with it. I am too involved." Please come to my office first thing in the morning and we will begin the process of having another hearing."

As Perry left the office that evening, he knew that he had not done the best he could. He should have realized by himself that Mary was not the murderer. She was a at a PTA meeting that night at seven and had worked until a few minutes after five. The ride was an hour each way from LA to the cabin and at first she had been ruled out as a suspect. Now once more Perry needed to once more find the real murderer.


	12. Chapter 12

Larry Davis was sitting at his office going over and over the evidence. He knew that his client was guilty of nothing, but being married to a kidnapper. She loved the little girl Sally and was sad that she had not been able to take her in when her parents had died. She had told him how her husband Steve had put his foot down. "I took in your two boys and agreed to help raise them when we got married. I am not going to take a little girl in now. It is too much for me. I want children of my own." he had told her.

But then who would have had the motive and the reason to kill the two men? He just knew that they were missing something. This Martin boy, he was the key to the puzzle of that he was now positive. It was time for him to go up to the town himself. He thought of going up there in the morning, but decided to go up to the town right then and there. He went out to his car and headed out to the town where the murder had happened.

When Perry Mason got home everything was quiet. As he went to be bedroom Della was awake reading. She knew that something was not right with the case. They were too close to everything. Mary was not the murderer she had no reason to kill her husband or the gardener.

Della looked at her husband and said "Mary is innocent isn't she?"

Perry kissed his wife on the forehead and said "Yes. There is only one person that could be the murderer. I am working with Larry Davis and in the morning we are applying for another court hearing. We will need to get subpoenas out and from the suspects, we will find the murder. I promise you."

Larry Davis arrived in town just about midnight and headed to the local bar. There he met with the bartender Everyone in the bar was talking about the murder and the two men. That was when Larry heard the two men talking about Larry Burns and his wife. It seems that his wife was well known at the bar. She was seen with Barry Martin quite frequently.

This was the type of thing that Larry Davis enjoyed learning. He sat at the bar and listened intently to the talk but heard nothing more that was very interesting. Everyone felt sorry for the daughter of Nora and Bob. They were such a good family. He heard that over and over and thought of the little girl.

Now, he wanted to find out more about Larry Burns wife. She was a suspect certainly. Did she have the time to commit the murder? But Sally said it was a man's voice that she heard. Also, Sally did not know the man. She would have known Barry Martin certainly. It had to be someone that Sally didn't recognize. This person was the murderer.

This presented a problem for Larry and Perry. Both men knew that there had been a man at the cabin that Sally did not know. This man was arguing with Steve and Larry. It was not Jim Burns or Barry Martin. Sally knew both men. So who could it be?

Meanwhile Paul Drake had been thinking over and over who could have been the man that Sally had seen at the cabin that day. The only way for them to find out was to ask Sally. She might be able to identify the man from a photo.

It hit Paul like a bolt of lightening. He thought of the time several months ago when Larry had not been able to do the Mason's lawn that day. Cameron Daley had come by the house. He was Larry's boss . He had done the yard that day. Sally had been at her Aunt Michelle's for the weekend and had not seen him. He was driving a black car. He needed to find out who was driving the white Chevrolet.

Now Paul had two people that he had to really look a little harder into. He wanted to find out about the white Chevrolet and the man named Cameron Daley. He thought for a moment and gave Perry a call. Perry was up and answered the phone right away.

"You keep looking Paul. You are right about that man Cameron. Sally would not have known him. Get a picture of him and I will show it to you.

Meanwhile Larry Davis decided that he was going to go up to the cabin and see if he could see anything. It was very late and he was tired. As he pulled into the driveway of the house, he could see that someone was in the house. He knocked on the door and was met by a gun. He did not know the man that was standing at the door, but the man knew him.

"Well, Mr. Davis you had to stick your nose into something that you had no business getting into. I am going to have to do something with you." With that he forced Larry to get into the trunk of the car. The man tied his hands and feet and shut the trunk lid. As the car went down the long hill Larry was working very hard to get loose from the ties. He found a box cutter of all things in the trunk and worked on his hands feverishly.

He was still working on the ropes when the car stopped. As the man opened the trunk lid Larry kicked him with every bit of strength that he could muster. He yanked as hard as he could and the ties to his hands released. With the lightening speed of the college boxing champ the man was down. Larry called the police and reported the kidnapping.

The police came and were surprised to find the man that had been caught was the same man who had been in town a few weeks ago. He had been looking into purchasing some property. His name was Cameron Daley.


	13. Chapter 13

Perry Mason had just gotten to this office when he got a call from Larry Davis. He told him what had happened. Perry Mason was wondering show this man Cameron Daley was. "I am going to contact Paul Drake and have him look into this man immediately. In the meantime you and I need to got to court. I want all of the suspects at court for a hearing.

Larry Davis agreed completely with Mr. Mason and willingly agreed to meet him at the courthouse in two hours. He was tired and need to change his clothes before appearing in court. But other than that he was all right. The meeting with that horrible man Cameron Daley had been very unnerving and he was glad to get back to Las Angeles.

The two attorneys filed the necessary papers and spoke to the judge about another hearing. The hearing was granted for two days from then. They informed the judge about the kidnapping of Larry and applied for the man to be held until the court date. With this done the two men went to work with finding out who the murderer was.

Cameron Daley was sitting in the jail cell in town. He was held on the count of kidnapping. 'What on earth was I doing kidnapping the lawyer? This had gotten way out of hand. He wasn't going to take the charge of murder for anyone either. What to do ' he thought over and over.

Paul Drake had been busy himself working on the case, There were so many twists and turns that he was sure he too was missing something. Cameron Daley had gotten into trouble with the law a couple of times. But nothing had ever been a major charge. He was sure that Cameron was the man that Sally had seen, though. There was something else missing.

There was still the problem of the lady in the white impala that had been seen. He needed to take a look at Sally's family . Pau had only a day to find out all that he could . He went to Michelle Jones house and asked her about anyone that she might know who drove a white chevy impala. She did not . As he was sitting in the living room Brian Capron, the young man who had taken care of Sally for a while came in.

Paul asked him and looked to see that he was driving a blue Toyota. Neither one of them said they knew anything. They both were very concerned about the case and worried that someone was still out there that might try to kidnap Sally again.

Paul then went over to talk to Mary once again. As Mary came out to meet him she looked as though she had aged five years. She was tired and he could see that she had not had much sleep. "Have you thought of anything that could help your case? Do you know anyone that owns a white impala?" Paul asked her.

Mary had spent the whole time that she was in jail racking her brains on who owned a white chevy. She had gone over the days of the kidnapping and the murder over and over and had no answers. "I have done nothing but think of that ever since they arrested me. I do not know of anyone that drives a car like that . I am sorry. But thank you for helping Attorney Davis. He is a good man but so young and the prosecutor just was walking all over him." she told him with hope in her voice.

Meanwhile Perry Mason had been thinking of nothing but the case. As he went and got Sally from school, he wanted to show her the picture of Cameron Daley. If she recognized him he would have a large question of his answered.

As they got home Perry gave Sally a snack and then came up to her kindly. "Sally, I have a picture to show you. Can you tell me if you recognize this man?" Perry asked his daughter.

Sally took the picture in her hands and smiled. "That is the man who was at the cabin. He is the man, but I didn't know his name." she told him as she handed him the picture back.

Sally, I want to know one more thing. Do you know what a chevy impala is?" he asked her kindly.

She thought for a moment and smiled. "Yes. Brian's new girl friend Carrie drives one. I rode in it with Uncle Brian when we went to the store."

Perry didn't want to think that Michelle would not tell him what she knew so he asked Sally "Did Aunt Michelle see the car?"

Sally thought for a moment and shook her head "No. She only pulled up in front and Aunt Michelle was out back in the yard. It was all right that I went with Uncle Brian the car isn't it?" she asked.

Perry gave his daughter a big hug and said "Of course it is."

"We went to the store and then came back. Carrie couldn't stay because she had to go to work." Sally told him with a smile.

'Out of the mouths of babes.' Perry thought to himself.

That afternoon he issued a subpoena for both Brian and Carrie Moses. He hoped that he was wrong, but in his years as an attorney he knew that anything could be possible and it usually was.

With that Perry picked up the phone and called Larry Davis. Larry could not believe what he had just found out. But they were still not sure exactly what had happened that day at the cabin. The next morning was court and he had high hopes that this hearing would be enough to prove his clients innocence.

As Della sat in the study listening to what Sally had told Perry, she shook her head. The last person that she wanted to think to be involved in this case was Sally's uncle Brain. He was young and had his whole life ahead of him. She would be there in the courtroom tomorrow. This was something that she just had to see for herself.

Larry Davis had his own secretary and Perry was just assisting with this case, but Della made up her mind. She would sit in the courtroom and hear the whole thing. This was for Sally.


	14. Chapter 14

Larry Davis had been up most of the night getting ready for his day in court. This was going to be a long and hard day for him. He knew that if he did a good john defending Mary he would get more clients. His dream was to someday work side by side with the great Perry Mason.

His private secretary Amy was very good at her job. She had done all of the work that was necessary to get ready for court.

As Amy looked at all of the papers that she had on her desk for Larry to sign, she sighed. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Mason's help she didn't think that she would have ever gotten all of the things needed for court done. Della had been a sweetheart. Amy had been overwhelmed with all of the things that had to be typed up and had so many questions.

Della had been at home taking care of Perry Jr when she had gotten a call from Amy Larry Davis' s private secretary. She of all people understood the volume of paperwork that needed to be done whenever Perry had to be in court. Della was glad to help Amy with her work. Della left Perry Jr and Sally with her nanny Jen and had gone over to the office of Larry Davis.

Amy was very good at her job and just needed a little guidance. As the two women worked together Della could tell that they could become friends and wouldn't mind working with her again. By the end of the afternoon all the briefs and things were done and all Amy had to do was have Larry sign them.

When Larry got back to the office he was pleased to see that all of the paperwork had been completed. He signed everything and then began rehearsing his speech and opening statement that he was going to be presenting to the court in the morning. He had learned at law school that the opening statement could be the most important part of the trial. He must convince the jury that his client could be innocent from the beginning of the trial. The prosecution was going to try to convince the jury with their statement also. This was very important and he knew it.

As Larry went over the opening statement he thought of calling Mr. Mason. He must have made several opening statements in his career and perhaps would be willing to help him. Larry placed a call to Perry and he whole heartedly agreed to listen to his opening statement.

As Larry drove over to the office he went over his speech once again. He did not want to have to glance at his notes, he wanted to stand tall and convince the jury with his stance and voice. He thought that if he had to keep looking at his notes, the jury would not believe him as easily.

Larry showed Perry his speech and Perry read the speech very carefully. The speech had everything that it needed but it needed the force the emotion. The jury wanted to know the feelings of Mary and her family, the loss of her husband and father. That needed to be emotionally added to the speech. Jurors wanted to hear the impact of the murder on the accused as well as the family and Mary was both.

Larry took a deep breath and was glad that he had spoken to Mr. Mason. He had indeed missed an important part of the opening statement. He wanted the jury to be on his clients side from the start. As he went to his house he added the emotions and thoughts to his speech. In front of a mirror he spoke his speech so many times that he could do it without glancing one time at his notes.

As Perry Mason got home from the office he was greeted by the whole family. It seemed as though he had not had a dinner with everyone in forever. Usually his little boy was sleeping. He was now six week sold and getting big. He had his deep blue eyes and full head of hair. He was even starting to smile and followed his father around the room with his eyes.

Sally had a good day at school and had been to a girl scout meeting at a neighbors house. She still had her uniform on and was very proud of it. She had made a stained glass window along with the other girls in the troop. The stained glass window was something that took a special skill and Perry had been surprised that Sally was learning to do that.

It turned out that the grandfather of one of the girls had done this for a living. It was a dying craft and not too many people knew how to do it anymore. Sally had enjoyed the project and had done a very nice job.

As the family all piled into the family room for some family time Perry took his son in his arms. He sat there and watched as Sally and Della played a video game together. It was a family night and Perry was almost sad when it was time to put Sally and Perry to bed.

Perry and Della went into the study to make sure that he was ready for court in the morning . Della looked at her husband and smiled "Amy Larry's secretary called me today. She needed some help getting things ready for the court tomorrow. I was glad to help her." she told him.

Perry looked up from his papers and smiled "I am glad that you felt up to helping her. Will you be going to court with me in the morning?" he asked her.

"Yes. I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world." Della told him with a smile.

Mary had been pacing back and forth worried all night. She had been to visit with Attorney Davis and he had gone over what was going to happen in the morning. This was a trail a trial for her life and she was worried. As she went to her closet and looked through her clothes she finally chose an outfit.

The next morning court came early. Mary met with Attorney Davis and Mason and shook their hands. The three of them walked into the courthouse together. Amy was right behind them and Della took a seat behind them. As Mary stood up as the judge entered the courtroom she took a deep breath. The trial was getting ready to begin.


	15. Chapter 16

Larry Davis was about to give his speech and he found that his throat was so dry that he could barely speak. He looked at his friend and aid Perry Mason and took a deep breath. He was probably one of the luckiest lawyers on the good earth. He had Mr. Mason there to help him with any question. He took a sip of water and stood up.

Here he presented to the jury his thoughts on the murder "I can promise you that beyond a doubt my client is not guilt of doing anything. She was not anywhere near the scene of the murder. As a matter of fact, she was busy at a PTA meeting at her son's school. She worked until five that day and then picked the boys up from their babysitter. She then went home and made them supper.

The cabin where the murder took place was an hour away and the meeting was at seven that night. That would not give her the time to commit the crime. Also, we are going to have testimony given that she was seen driving up the mountain to the cabin. The girl that was kidnapped saw only four men while she was there and never saw any women. We will prove that someone else is guilty of this crime." He hoped that he would be able to convince the jury of what he believed to be true in his heart of hearts and took a seat.

The prosecution called their first witness. This was the state trooper who had come to the scene to examine the evidence. As he told the jury of his findings, Larry could not find anything to argue. Perry touched his arm and said "It's all right" With that Larry said "No questions."

Mary was getting nervous when her attorney did not challenge the findings of the police or the coroner. But she could see that Perry Mason was keeping a careful eye on the proceedings and was being of a tremendous help to Attorney Davis. But this was her life and she wanted to be a free woman.

One of the things that Perry had not looked forward to was putting Sally on the witness stand. He felt that she had been through enough already. He thought of his little girl and how she hat sat at the kitchen table eating her cherios when he had come over to talk to her. "Sally I have to ask you a couple of questions. They can be tough, but there are a few things that you need to know." he had told her tenderly.

"What is it daddy? Does this have something to do with the murder trial and my Aunt Mary?" Sally had asked with her big eyes.

Perry had adopted Sally hoping to protect her from this kind of thing. Sally had a rough life after her parents had been killed in the car accident and he had wanted to protect her. But, somehow or another fate had taken over and she had been kidnapped. He smiled at her and said "Sally, the man that is defending your Aunt Mary Attorney Davis would like to talk to you in the courtroom."

Sally put down her spoon and stared at her father. "You mean they want me to tell the court what I saw?" she asked.

"Yes, that is it exactly. They would like you to speak to the judge and a jury about what you saw and heard when you were at the cabin. It is very important that you answer each of their questions and you tell the truth." he told her gently.

Della had walked into the kitchen holding the baby when she heard what Perry was telling Sally. She smiled at the little girl. She was so mature for a little girl and listened as Sally told Perry "Dad I know that you are supposed to tell the truth all the time but especially in court. I will be all right. Don't worry." and with this Sally gave her daddy a big hug.

Perry had to turn his head for a second to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes. Sally was a truly good little girl. He had picked up his son and smiled at him. He was one lucky little boy to have a big sister like Sally.

Sally was to testify that afternoon. The courtroom was going to be empty of everyone but the lawyers the judge the jury and Perry and Della. The judge and prosecution had both agreed to those terms.

Della had picked Sally up from school and headed straight to court. As Sally took the oath to tell the truth she held her hand up and took her seat carefully. She was so little that the microphone barely reached her. But she was told to tell the truth and speak loudly and clearly and that was what she planned on doing.

The judge told the jury that they could ask any questions that they might have but to remember that this was a nine year old child. The prosecutor had children of his own and although he was not Hamilton Burger, the man that Perry was used to dealing with he was a kind and considerate man.

Sally was a trooper when she was on the stand telling every detail of her kidnapping. As she described the time in the woods alone, Larry and Perry could see that the jury was feeling every moment along with her. But, she did not provide any new information for her Aunt and Perry had to prove who the real murderer was.

Sally was told that she could get down and she turned around and thanked the judge. As she walked down the aisle Della took her hand. The judge noted the time and said that court would reconvene at ten am the following morning.

Just as the three Mason family members started to leave the courtroom Paul came in and motioned to Perry that he needed to talk to him. As Perry excused himself from Della and Sally he went over to Paul . Paul said "I think that tomorrow we should start with some testimony from Brian and his new girl friend Carrie. When I went there to drop off the subpoena she nearly fainted. She wouldn't say a word, but something isn't right there Perry. With that the two men walked out of the courthouse once again together.


	16. Chapter 17

That night Perry Mason spent the evening with his family. The time had passed so quickly. Sally had now finished the third grade and was now an official fourth grader. As she showed her mother and father her report card she beamed with pride. She got all A's and S 's for behavior once more. She not only was kind but smart also.

The family went out to their favorite pizza house for a big celebration . Perry Jr. could now sit in a high chair with a belt to hold him in. He was very fidgety and might try to crawl out now. He sat there with his baby fruit while the rest of the family ate pizza. Soon he would be joining in with the rest of the family.

When everyone got home Sally went to her room to get dressed for bed and daddy got to spend some time with his son. Perry was sad that he had so few daddy and baby moments. As he was changing his name sake for bed Perry Jr. giggled when he rubbed his belly with lotion. It was the first time that he had heard him giggle and it was so exciting.

But changing the baby was becoming a chore. He was grabbing everything in sight and rolling back and forth every time his father tried to put his diaper and clothes on. It was the beginning of the fun months. Soon he would be crawling and then walking.

After the children were in bed Perry went to his study with Della to go over the briefs. He called Larry Davis and put him on speaker phone so that Della could hear what was being said. "I have something to discuss with you tonight. It seems that Brian Capron and his girl friend Carrie own a white Impala Chevrolet . When Paul Drake went to Carrie to serve a subpoena she acted very strangely." he told him. "In the morning both Brian and Carrie will be in court."

Larry had a feeling that something was going on that was like that. "I will be looking forward to cross examining the both of them. Perhaps we can wind this case down tomorrow." Larry told Perry and Della with hope in his voice.

"Yes. I think we can." Perry told him.

In the meantime Carrie was at home worried to death about court in the morning. She now knew that Perry Mason and Larry Davis both knew about her car and how it had been seen going up to the cabin that day. But, she had done nothing. She didn't know what to do. She called Brian, but he didn't return her call. She paced back and forth in her bedroom worried sick.

Brian was now sure that Mr. Mason had figured out who the person was in the Chevrolet. He had been a fool thinking that no one would find out about him and the cabin. But, he had gone up there and the cabin had been empty. He saw some things in the cabin, including the sweater but he did not look at the name on the sweater that day at all. He had left .

The next morning court came early once more. As Perry looked around the courtroom he saw both Brian and Carrie. He was sure that these two people at least held the key as to who the murderer was and could not wait for the testimony that they were going to be giving.

The courtroom was crowded that morning again. There were many witnesses who had been subpoenaed by both the prosecution and defense. But because Mason was assisting the new lawyer there were students and just curiosity seekers attending the trial as well.

The first person to be called to the witness stand was Barry Martin. Barry was very nervous when he took the stand and Larry Davis took advantage of this "Mr. Martin is it true that you and Larry Barber wife were having an affair?"

Barry cleared his throat and said "Yes, But I didn't"

"Just answer the question." Larry intervened. "Did you go to the cabin on the day of the murder?" Larry Davis demanded.

"No. I was at home most of the day. Then I went to town and met with Gina. We spent the day together."

"Were you at the bar the entire day?" he asked.

"Most of the day. Yes." Barry admitted.

"What time did you see a white Chevy Impala on your street?" Davis asked him.

"It was about ten in the morning." Barry answered.

"Did you see any other strange cars that day?" Larry Davis asked.

"No sir. I did not." Barry answered and then he was allowed to stand down.

"I reserve the right to recall the witness." Larry put in.

The next person to take the witness stand was Gina Parker. Attorney Davis knew that he would have to question her carefully. She was the widow of one of the victims and the court would frown upon anything that he said without delicacy. "Mrs. Parker, can you please tell me if you saw anything that day?" he asked her.

"No I did not see anyone. As a matter of fact I didn't know that he was at the cabin. I didn't see him at all." Gina told the court.

"Do you know anyone who drives a white Chevrolet Impala?" Larry Davis asked her.

"No. I don't think so." she told him.

"Thank you. You can stand down. But I ask for the right to recall the witness." Larry Davis told the court once again.

The judge looked at the time and announced that court would be taking a break for lunch and would reconvene at two. As they all headed out of the courtroom to get some lunch, Perry sent Paul out to check the parking lot for any chevy Impalas, perhaps once that had been newly painted. Perry knew that they were close to finding out who the murderer was and now he had to make sure that he and Davis checked each and every possibility. He had high hopes that the murder would be solved that day.


	17. Chapter 18

That evening the lights burned bright at the Davis office once more. Larry was sure that the case would be closed by the end of the day tomorrow. He had been waiting for one of those moments that Perry Mason had been famous for but it hadn't happened. He went over the testimony of each witness over and over but still had no answer.

Perry Mason was not used to being the secondary lawyer. There had been so many times that he had wanted to jump up and object, but Larry Davis was indeed a good attorney. He had handled himself well. For a lawyer on his first big case he was holding his own. 'Perhaps it is time for me to consider taking in a partner' he thought to himself.

Meanwhile Mary Sally's aunt was very worried about what was going to happen to her. She didn't see where Perry Mason or Larry Davis were learning anything new on her case. The prosecution was making it sound as if she was the murderer. She had watched the jury and the looks that they were giving her were not good ones. Some of them seemed to glare at her as they listened to the testimony.

It was the morning again and the courtroom was full. Della was helping Amy with all of the papers while Perry was helping Larry with the presentations that he was going to present that day. There were a lot of papers to go through and although Larry had practiced in front of a mirror the night before he was still nervous about how court was going to go that day. He took one more look in the mirror and straightened his tie before going back into the courtroom once again.

Mary looked around the room and got a smiling nod from Della. Della had been her steadfast friend throughout the whole terrible ordeal. Mary thought of what a wonderful person Della was. She wondered what Della thought about her. Here she was a mother who had married a man who kidnapped his wife's niece for money and then been murdered. She was sure that Della knew that she had not murdered anyone, but she wasn't sure of what the thought of her as a person.

But the court was ready to start and as Mary and the rest of the courtroom stood up as the judge entered the room, Mary took another deep breath. The trial for her life was about to begin once again.

The next person that was called was Brain Capron. He looked very young and nervous as he took the stand and swore to tell the truth and the whole truth. When it ws finally Larry's turn to question the man, Larry was ready. At this point he did not think that Brian was the murderer but he wanted to know what he had seen and heard that day. He also wanted to know what he was doing up at the cabin.

Larry walked up to the witness stand and looked Brian right in the face. "Did you go to the cabin the day of the murder?" he asked.

"Yes I was there" he told Attorney Davis nervously.

"What did you see?" Davis demanded.

"I saw nothing, there was no one there. I went in using the key that was under the door mat but no one was there." Brian told him.

"Did you wait there?" Davis asked.

"I waited for over two hours and no one came. I figured that no one was there. " Brian told him.

"But there must have been signs that someone had been there . What did you see?"

"I knew that someone had been there because there were games in the living room that had been played recently. One of the games were brand new and just came out a few weeks ago." Brian told him.

"Did you think that Sally was there?" Larry asked him.

"That is why I went up there. Something that Steve had said got me thinking. So I followed him. I lost them about ten miles from the town. But I was sure that was where they were heading." Brian told them.

"Are you sure that you never saw them again?" Larry asked him.

"Yes I am sure. I went home and never saw either one of them again.

"What did Steve say that made you think that he might be involved in the kidnapping?" Larry asked.

"I was behind the garage getting something when I heard Steve on the phone. He was saying that the money would be paid soon and don't worry about it. He called the man on the phone that he was taking to Can or Cam I am not sure."

That was when Larry and Perry knew who the real murderer was . As Cameron Daley started to get up and leave the courtroom the bailiff stopped him. Larry turned and thanked Brian and then said "I would like to call Mr. Cameron Daley to the stand.

Cameron took the stand with an attitude. He was not going to tell them anything. But Larry was persistent and as the young attorney was now on attack mode he asked him "Did you know about the kidnapping?"

"No how would I know about that. " Cameron spit back.

"We have a witness that says that you were seen at the cabin. We know that you knew about the ransom money and we also know that you drive a black car that was seen in the area." Larry demanded.

Cameron Daley knew that he was finished. "All right I admit that I killed them. I went up to the cabin to see how things were going on and the two morons had lost Sally. They had no idea where she was. I did not want her dead or injured. But the two of them had no idea where she was and they wanted to keep more of the money. They were going to turn me in as a kidnapper if Sally was found safe. I had to kill them."

With that Mary found herself a free woman once again. Perry was now free from worry. He now knew the truth and his family was safe. As they all shook hands and hugged each other Perry thought about the man that could be his partner.


End file.
